Small hands on Bass Guitar
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Twang said: > Pbass body.. J bass neck.. one of if not the first modifications to basses > that is still very popular. > First time I ever saw that was the Fendermen of Mule Skinner Blues fame.. > (if I remember right).. at the Surf Ballroom. > Twang! > The Fendermen?!?!?!? Gawd, Pat, you *are* old ;>D > The Old Guy
whaaa whaaa. throw the buck buck bucket down.. *L* they were pretty good. three women in cages dancing.. the drummer had a stutter which they made fun of all night.. As I understood it later, there were several bands using the name.. old? well.. yeah. yer right! Twang! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> —-== Posted via Newsfeed.Com – Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==—- > http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups > —= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers – Total Privacy via Encryption =—
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Wow, what a lot of information here. Thanks, all.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the > > acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the > > bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able > > to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I > > fighting a dead beat? > time will do it. > some guys do get hooked on shorter scale basses.. > but I’ve seen guys with the smallest hands imagineable dance around the > fingerboard with no problems. > Try putting a capo on at say the second fret.. > then play something as if that were E..know what I mean? as if that was the > necks size.. > and you get an idea of the shorter scale.. > sometimes a shorter scale bass actually has a thicker neck, and it may not > be the scale so much that’s bothering you. > in the store check out a fender precision.. then check out a fender jazz.. > the jazz neck is way thinner.. and you can really tell it. > both have a long scale, 34".. but sometimes the thin neck is really where > you find relief. > Twang! > Dmaned good point – and not just in bass guitar. I’m one of those > oddballs that have yet to see a guitar or bass neck too thin for me (I > am in love with my Mosrite Ventures model), and while I like and admire > the Fender > Precision, I *love* the Fender Jazz bass. > The Old Guy
Those Mosrites.. *G* I remember the first time I played one.. I couldn’t believe it! Not only was the neck much smaller than most.. it was the first set of light guage strings in town that I was aware of.. it was a revelation! Compare the Mosrite to what most of us had.. sears specials and montogomery ward ‘jetsons’ guitars.. and then.. no black diamond heavy guage strings! whoeee. changed a lot of heads. Pbass body.. J bass neck.. one of if not the first modifications to basses that is still very popular. First time I ever saw that was the Fendermen of Mule Skinner Blues fame.. (if I remember right).. at the Surf Ballroom. Twang! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> —-== Posted via Newsfeed.Com – Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==—- > http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups > —= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers – Total Privacy via Encryption =—
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> I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the > acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the > bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able > to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I > fighting a dead beat?
Check out MeShell NdegeOcello. 5′0", can’t even reach the tuners on her bass (vintage Fender Jazz, standard scale), one of the funkiest bassists ever. It’s not how big your hands are, it’s what you do with them (hmm…)
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> check out a fender precision.. then check out a fender >jazz.. > > the jazz neck is way thinner.. and you can really tell it. > > both have a long scale, 34".. but sometimes the thin neck is really > where > > you find relief. > > Twang! > Damned good point – and not just in bass guitar. I’m one of those > oddballs that have yet to see a guitar or bass neck too thin for me (I > am in love with my Mosrite Ventures model), and while I like and admire > the Fender > Precision, I *love* the Fender Jazz bass. > The Old Guy > Those Mosrites.. *G* I remember the first time I played one.. I couldn’t > believe it! > Not only was the neck much smaller than most.. it was the first set of light > guage strings in town that I was aware of.. > it was a revelation!
They come strung with nines (most new electrics do), but very, very little of the acton or feel is lost with tens, which I use. > Compare the Mosrite to what most of us had.. sears specials and montogomery > ward ‘jetsons’ guitars.. > and then.. no black diamond heavy guage strings! > whoeee. changed a lot of heads.
Absolutely. The only electrics affordable at that time to average kids like us were early, *early* Japanese makes – and teh necks were like 2×4’s. The Mosrite’s neck is much more slender than even the Fender Jazzmaster or Rick’s of the time. > Pbass body.. J bass neck.. one of if not the first modifications to basses > that is still very popular. > First time I ever saw that was the Fendermen of Mule Skinner Blues fame.. > (if I remember right).. at the Surf Ballroom. > Twang!
The Fendermen?!?!?!? Gawd, Pat, you *are* old ;>D The Old Guy —-== Posted via Newsfeed.Com – Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==—- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups —= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers – Total Privacy via Encryption =—
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> I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the > acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the > bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able > to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I > fighting a dead beat?
What bass? Bass guitars are made in two (approximate) scale lengths: 34" which is "long scale" or "standard scale", and 30" which is "short scale". If you are using a 34" scale bass with small hands, yeah – you are going to have problems. A 30" scale bass might be a revelation to you. The trade-off is that the 30" scale is a bit harder to tune precisely (many detractors say it has a "muddier" rather than "crisper" tone), but many famous bassists – including Paul McCartney – swear by it. Hope this helps. The Old Guy —-== Posted via Newsfeed.Com – Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==—- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups —= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers – Total Privacy via Encryption =—
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the > acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the > bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able > to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I > fighting a dead beat? > time will do it. > some guys do get hooked on shorter scale basses.. > but I’ve seen guys with the smallest hands imagineable dance around the > fingerboard with no problems. > Try putting a capo on at say the second fret.. > then play something as if that were E..know what I mean? as if that was the > necks size.. > and you get an idea of the shorter scale.. > sometimes a shorter scale bass actually has a thicker neck, and it may not > be the scale so much that’s bothering you. > in the store check out a fender precision.. then check out a fender jazz.. > the jazz neck is way thinner.. and you can really tell it. > both have a long scale, 34".. but sometimes the thin neck is really where > you find relief. > Twang!
Dmaned good point – and not just in bass guitar. I’m one of those oddballs that have yet to see a guitar or bass neck too thin for me (I am in love with my Mosrite Ventures model), and while I like and admire the Fender Precision, I *love* the Fender Jazz bass. The Old Guy —-== Posted via Newsfeed.Com – Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==—- http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups —= 19 East/West-Coast Specialized Servers – Total Privacy via Encryption =—
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I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I fighting a dead beat?
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>I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the >acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the >bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able >to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I >fighting a dead beat?
Everyone always complains about hand size and clumsy fingers when they start. Unless you have really unusual hands then I doubt its a problem. You can find some basses that are smaller that others ,with skinnier necks and you can use thinner gauge strings if they seem too huge. A bassist I knew used a Rickenbacker which I thought was really weird , it felt really large. Fenders also feel fairly large. The one I have now is fairly small but I remember a friend had a Gibson Les Paul recording bass that seemed fairly small. also Im used to big old hairy strings and always wanted lighter gauges on basses. The cheap bass I bought came with really light gauges, I kind of feel like getting heavier gauge strings . They also make the bass sound a bit tinny. Plus the fact bass is really different. Though most guitarists seem to adapt to bass fairly easily at least to the extent of playing simple styles , the feel is really different. To get really fast and prescussive with it , takes a fair amount of time. Bass , well guitar too – can be a really percussive intrument rather than just a harmonic instrument. The way you drum on the strings to create a thumping beat , the way you approach the attack on the strings – you can wack it with your fingers, thumb or or pinch the strings or do a straight forward pluck/pick .
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> I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the > acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the > bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able > to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I > fighting a dead beat?
time will do it. some guys do get hooked on shorter scale basses.. but I’ve seen guys with the smallest hands imagineable dance around the fingerboard with no problems. Try putting a capo on at say the second fret.. then play something as if that were E..know what I mean? as if that was the necks size.. and you get an idea of the shorter scale.. sometimes a shorter scale bass actually has a thicker neck, and it may not be the scale so much that’s bothering you. in the store check out a fender precision.. then check out a fender jazz.. the jazz neck is way thinner.. and you can really tell it. both have a long scale, 34".. but sometimes the thin neck is really where you find relief. Twang!
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> I have very small hands, with short stubby fingers. I make do on the > acoustic guitar, but I’m having problems moving fast enough on the > bass. Anyone with stubbies playing bass? Will I eventually be able > to get there in time to maintain the beat? Just more practice or am I > fighting a dead beat?
One of the tiniest women I know (talk about small hands!) is a tremendous bass player. She plays a standard-sized bass–I forget what it was, an Alembic, maybe. Your fingers would have to be REALLY stubby–like freakish–to cause you more trouble than she must have had. Not only were her hands small, the neck was really long in comparison to her arm. She learned to work around it, it just took a while. There are some basses out there with narrower necks–the Fender Jazz comes to mind right off–and lighter strings may help as well. But I doubt you’ll actually need to go that far. As usual, practice, practice, practice. You’ll get it.
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